How to Integrate Mobile Access Successfully

Karibu x Tapkey – the Success Story

We talk a lot about the benefits of a mobile access solution and the ease of integration offered by Tapkey. We sat down with someone who has amassed some experience with our API & Mobile SDK to gain an insight into Tapkey integration from a different perspective.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your company?

I’m a software developer. I developed one of the world’s first fully automated self-storage facilities for my client ExtraPlatz starting in 2014.

I’ve continued to work in this industry over the years. Today, I’m an IT-Consultant for Self-Storage, helping self-storage developers to build modern, fully automated businesses.

When did you first come into contact with Tapkey and our APIs?

Being from Vienna, Tapkey was on my radar quite early on – from about 2016 I believe. That’s when I ordered a Tapkey demo kit and tested the system.

In 2019, my customer ExtraPlatz had had enough of its old smart locks. It didn’t fit at the back and front. We looked at several options, and Tapkey was the best solution.

How did the integration process go?

It was so simple! The API is well documented, so I quickly had an idea of how to proceed. Before implementing it, I discussed my concept with a Tapkey developer who was able to provide crucial feedback.

How do you compare integration with Tapkey compared to other providers in terms of difficulty?

It was a dream! The API is exactly what you want it to be as a developer. 

By contrast, the API of the smart lock provider was a horror show! There was hardly any documentation, the calls were inconsistent, they often behaved differently than stated and the stack trace sometimes came back instead of actual error messages.

What were the moments of success during the integration?

Everything went seamlessly. There was no frustration at all. The test system was built, refined and then deployed to production with zero errors or complaints from customers who couldn’t get in. 

How long did it take you to integrate Tapkey successfully?

Maybe 2-3 weeks? I definitely took my time though, so maybe it could have been quicker. If we’d been in a hurry, the integration including all planning and testing would have been possible in 1-2 days.

What tips do you have for others who want to integrate Tapkey or are already in the integration process?

I would definitely get a Tapkey demo kit. My only mistake was that I only bought one kit, even though the typical tenant goes through two doors at our premises. That made testing more difficult, which is why I recommend you purchase additional demo kits so that the test system is representative.

That being said, you should contact Tapkey and discuss your intentions. You can do the integration without any help at all, but the team is familiar with similar use cases and can provide important tips that will save you lots of time.